Lagos Urban Development Initiative promotes a green environment and addresses climate change

…As the winners of the 2024 Greening Lagos competition are revealed

Determined to contribute to the creation of a sustainable environment in Lagos, the Lagos Urban Development Initiative (LUDI) has harnessed the potential of youth to create practical and effective solutions that benefit the environment and society.

The rapid pace of urbanization has resulted in a lack of sufficient green space in Lagos, which has negative environmental consequences such as pollution and rising temperatures that affect the health and safety of residents.
LUDI launched the Greening Lagos competition to encourage young Nigerians to use their creativity and problem-solving skills to come up with solutions that can solve the problem of lack of green space.

Speaking at the cash presentation ceremony to the winners of the competition, Miriam Adenuga, Project Coordinator of the Lagos Urban Development Initiative, said the competition fits into the THEMES+ Agenda of Lagos State by promoting a clean and green environment.

“THEMES + Agenda focuses on sustainability and inclusion by promoting community initiatives. The idea is for communities to own projects, address issues like climate change and improve the environment so that residents can and do improve the environment so residents can live healthier lives,” Adenuga said.
She said engaging youth would help them understand the importance of a greener environment and prepare them for future leadership positions.

“They say children are the leaders of tomorrow, but they can start leading now. Why should we wait until tomorrow? We talk about sustainability; the idea is to let things live beyond our generation. it’s important to get them involved now, otherwise they’ll be confused about what we’re leaving them with,” she explained.

She further said that LUDI has decided to collaborate with other stakeholders such as the Lagos State Government through Lagos State Parks and Gardens, IITA and FCMB to achieve better results.

The Lagos Greening Initiative, a project in partnership with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Amayi Foods, MOE+ Art Architecture and The Lekki Bird Club, aims to address the lack of green space. slow down the harmful effects of climate change, promote sustainable solutions for greening Lagos and encourage young people to develop innovative and cost-effective solutions for greening the city.

The Greening Lagos 2024 competition ran from 20 August to 30 September 2024 and was open to children aged 10-12, 13-15 and 16-18 years. They submitted projects to show how their immediate surroundings and environment could be transformed by implementing green initiatives.

All entries received were reviewed by judges from academia, cultural institutions, architecture and government, and the best projects were selected according to their degree of innovation, aesthetic qualities, functionality, use of local materials and utility.

To develop the submitted projects and with the ultimate goal of realizing these projects, the winners in categories 13-15 and 16-18 were invited to take part in a workshop where they were paired with young designers.

At the workshop, they learned how design can be a tool for advocacy and how community collaboration can promote inclusivity.

They were trained to consider age, gender, people with disabilities and environmental sustainability. The workshop brought together various experts to share their knowledge and experience, including representatives from IITA, who explained the need to consider specific crops and plants, as well as different farming practices, to support the local economy.

The winners included Daniel Anyanonu, Oluwaseun Oluwabunmi Temitope and Tariq Lawal (16-18); Nicole Rapou, Benita Besil and Samuel Anianonu (13-15); Emmanuel Himeka, Tijani Feyisara and Moses Adediran (10-12) were awarded cash prizes ranging from N50,000 to N200,000.

Meanwhile, the partners are expected to jointly implement the winning projects in various winning communities in 2025 as part of the second phase of the project.